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tv   State of the Union  CNN  February 3, 2013 6:00am-7:00am PST

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he'll be hosting a reality punk show. it's the ultimate reality. i'm not defending on any level what he did to manti te'o. i can see him rewarded on some tv network somewhere, not cnn. >> what's the end, do you think we're more gullible? >> i think the internet made it easier to hide identity, for theories to get to critical mass. celebrity death rumors are the big thing. it's almost monthly. >> so true. >> jon bon jovi heard about his own death rumor and he had to hold up a sign that said looks like heaven and new jersey are the same thing. i'm still alive. they have to respond. >> i can't let you go without talking about the big game. >> what game? it's a hoax. it was played weeks ago. >> don't say that. maybe the commercials will ab bit of a hoax. who knows what we're going to get. do you have anybody in mind this could win this one? >> new york giants? they could win.
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i want my team in it. the judge, i think the niners are going to win. i hope somehow the giants and eli manning end up on the field and win. >> unless they arrive in a silver balloon that's been floating around. >> genius. or jump out and sing with beyonce. >> there you go. on the field somehow. >> there will be back-up. nice to see you as always. thanks for the sunday morning laughs. >> thanks. >> thank you, everybody, for watching today. you can always continue the conversation with me online on twitter @randikayecnn. have a great sunday everyone. "state of the union with candy crowley" is up next. what in the world is going on? today an israeli airstrike deep into syria, a suicide bomber of the u.s. embassy in turkey and the president's nominee for pentagon chief gets the third degree. >> i would like an answer yes or no. >> well, i'm not going to give you a yes or no. >> outstanding defense secretary
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leon panetta and joint chief chairman martin dempsey on the hagel hearings, hospitals and benghazi. >> this is not 911. you can't call in two minutes and expect a team in place. >> then the president's agenda. >> comprehensive immigration reform. prevent something like newtown hopefully from happening again. >> what about jobs? with former obama policy adviser meld barnes, former labor secretary elaine chao, mvp super bowl xl hines ward. i'm candy crowley and this is "state of the union." joining me now leon panetta secretary of defense and martin dempsey, chairman of the chief
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joint of staff. i want to play you a little of the hearings. >> as to the iranians red line persian gulf, some of the iranian questions you asked. i support the president's strong position on containment. by the way, i've just been handed a note that i misspoke. we don't have a position on containment. >> just to make sure your correction is clear. we do have a position on containment, which is we do not favor containment. >> we do not favor containment. >> i'm sure you've seen the criticism of the nominee for your new job and your old job and your new boss. how did you think mr. hagel did? >> well, these hearings are tough, especially when everybody is targeting you. i guess i was really disappointed that a lot of that hearing focused on the past as opposed to the challenges that a secretary of defense has to confront.
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>> you know capitol hill. can you get a record? what else do you move on? >> you can. you have to talk about what secretary of defense has to face. war on afghanistan, sequester problems and budget problems. serious problems in dealing with the challenges in terms of the middle east on cyber. there are a number of areas that simply were not that well covered that deal with what a secretary of defense has to do and that concerned me. >> but nothing concerned -- this man will be your new boss replacing secretary panetta. is there anything in that hearing that concerned you? there are a lot of folks who thought he just doesn't seem prepared? >> no, i had the same reaction secretary panetta had. i was more surprised with what wasn't discussed than what was. in my context with the senator, senator hagel and his preparations, i found him to be very thoughtful and well prepared and interested. so if he's confirmed, i'm sure we'll establish a very close
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working relationship. >> you thought he seemed well prepared? >> i think -- i know chuck hagel. i think he's got good experience with regards to public service. he understands the issues of the defense department. i think he'll be a great secretary of defense. >> i'm going to ask you about signals in washington. general hayden, former director of the cia was talking about incoming secretary of state john kerry, incoming if he is confirmed secretary of defense chuck hagel and here is what he had to say about the new team. >> i think the new team thinks more like the president thinks when it comes to foreign policy. this is going to be a team that might not push back as much with regard to cuts or withdrawals or smaller footprints or reluctance to have bigfoot prints in new areas. >> i want you to tell me what your reaction is to that.
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do you see a new team coming in with a different attitude toward the president's policies? >> no, i really don't. after all, the president is the person who makes policy with regards to foreign affairs and defense policy. >> this is about pushback. the suggestion is you all do push back and this team might not. >> i've got to tell you, anybody who knows john kerry and anybody who knows chuck hagel, i've been with him in meetings and conferences, and i've been with him on issue debates, they push back. believe me, they push back on the issues. i think in the situation room, everybody has to give their honest views. i think they won't hesitate to give their honest views. >> one of the things where there might be pushback, looking ahead, we're now hearing from senior types in the white house that they might not want any troops to remain in afghanistan after 2014. right now, as you're looking at the situation, and you trained troops in afghanistan, for both of you, since you trained troops
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over there, we never hear very good reports. the last official one we saw is that one afghan battalion of all of them was able to work without u.s. ground or air support. are afghan troops and is afghan security and police going to be ready in 2014 to have no u.s. support? >> first of all, i've never heard anyone suggest -- no one has ever suggested zero to me. i think the ultimate number will be based on the mission and how deeply we want to be involved with their continued development and also what they want, literally what the sovereign nation of afghanistan. john allen has a very well thought out campaign plan. as we look at the different options for both presidents after '14 and how we get from here to 14. we're basing it on keeping three things in equilibrium. the campaign objectives laid out in lisbon with nato allies, retrograde. we have a pretty significant
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challenge of getting ourselves out of afghanistan in terms of equipment and force protection. we'll keep those three things in equilibrium. >> 66,000 troops there now. what sounds to you all like a reasonable number at the end of 2014? what should the afghan government be able to do with how many u.s. troops? >> the most important thing that's happened is that the afghan army has become operational. they developed their ability to provide security. we couldn't make a transition in the areas that need add transition, over 75% of the afghan nation under afghan control and security. we couldn't do that if there wasn't an afghan army that's becoming much more capable of doing their job. if we maintain a 352,000 number, which is what we're trying to achieve, if we maintain that -- >> for their forces. >> and they become good, that is going to determine that the level of enduring presence we will have once we reach the end
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of 2014. >> what's your feel for it now? >> the feel for it now is that the missions that we've accepted post '14 with the afghan government and nato allies, which largely relate to the counter-terror mission, continuing to keep pressure on trans national global terrorism as well as the continued development of afghan security forces, think their development is moving at a pace and their acceptance and responsibility moving at a pace our numbers at '14 can be modest. >> what's that? can you give me a number? what's modest? >> i can't give you a number. first of all, i'm not going to announce a number on cnn on sunday afternoon. >> why not? >> i don't know the number. i really don't. look, we're in the business of negotiating with ourselves and john allen the mission and how best to accomplish it trying to look two years into the future. we really don't have a number selected yet. >> when we return, lingering questions about the attack in benghazi.
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>> you can't be every place. i might remind you, it was 9/11 elsewhere in the world not just in there. ♪ [ construction sounds ] ♪ [ watch ticking ] [ engine revs ] come in. ♪ got the coffee. that was fast. we're outta here. ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪
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go to facebook.com/progresso to enter. then you're going to love this. right now they're only $14.95! wow-a grt deal just got a whole lot better. hurry. $14.95 won't last. we are back with secretary panetta and general dempsey. again, thank you gentlemen for being here. let me ask about benghazi. first, you'll be talking to capitol hill before you leave office? >> we'll be working on that. they have asked us to testify and we probably will have that opportunity. >> one of the outstanding questions has been why wasn't there someone to come help? why didn't you -- we know you
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did move ships closer. we know the air base in sicily, you brought in a strike force. why didn't you in a seven-hour timeframe this took place, why couldn't the strike force have said, even if you didn't know what was going on, just get closer. go as though you're going to go there and we'll let you know what we find out? >> very frankly intelligence did not provide any warning this, in fact, was going to happen. we deployed. we knew there were problems here. we moved forces into place where we could deploy them quickly if we had to. they were ready to go. very frankly by the time we got the information as to what, in fact, was taking place there, just distance alone made it difficult to respond quickly. that's just the nature of dealing with the middle east. >> when did you learn, if this was a seven-hour battle, we don't know when people died, when the ambassador died, if this was a seven-hour battle, a u.s. strike force couldn't have
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gotten there in time to be of some service? >> it wasn't a seven-hour battle. it was two twenty minute battles separated by six hours. the idea this was one continuous event is just incorrect. the nearest -- for example, the nearest armed aircraft, happened to be in djubouti, the difference, there's significant physics involved the time and intelligence available, i have great confidence in reporting to the american people that we were appropriately responsive given what we knew at the time. >> candy, the answer to these things and we've learned some lessons, obviously, from what happened in benghazi. the answer is you have to develop country there, every host country has to provide good security. >> you knew libya wasn't capable at that point? >> i understand that.
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but you have to be able to rely in part on their capability to provide security. secondly, you've also be able to harden the facility so that it is well protected. and thirdly, if none of that works, then obviously you've got to have a response team that's ready to respond. but to do that, you've got to have intelligence that tells you this is trouble. there's a risk here. >> you had an ambassador telling people it was trouble. >> this is not 911. you cannot just simply call and expect within two minutes to have a team in place. it takes time. that's the nature of it. our people are there. they are in position to move but we've got to have good intelligence that gives us a heads up something is going to happen. >> the base in italy is close, the air base in italy would have been a closer strike force, right? so again, why wouldn't you, knowing there had been an attack, not knowing how long it was going to go on, why wouldn't you, say, get on a helicopter, get on a plane, get on -- you
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know, i realize these are sort of basic questions for you. people, couldn't they have seen something there? >> i'm sure we'll have a chance to answer these exact questions thursday when you testify. the fact is we did exactly what you said. as soon as we knew something happened, the secretary gave us vocal instructions to begin moving forces to a higher alert posture and make them with aircraft necessary to move them, and then including the transit time to give them an estimate of how quickly we could have something there. we did exactly what you said. we can't be every place. i might remind you it was 9/11 elsewhere not just libya. >> would you agree the council in benghazi was woefully underprotected. >> i think the secretary of state indicated they needed more security there. >> would you do anything differently militarily knowing now what you knew went on. >> we have taken the county
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review board results, review especially around that part of the world and we are taking steps. >> would you now in hindsight say we could have, should have, would have sent this group there. we might have been able to do some good if we had done x, y, z. >> so you would change nothing. >> i think in these situations, you have to look at what we were facing, what we knew, what intelligence we had in order to respond. admittedly, better intelligence about what was taking place there would have given us -- >> why isn't there better intelligence? it's not like the intelligence community is underfunded. seems like any time we come into something that's a tragedy, you've been there. >> i was director of the cia. i say this without demeaning our efforts at intelligence, but the fact is we -- there are areas in the middle east where we do not have the kind of intelligence we should have in order to give us a heads up about these kinds of
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attacks. that's a reality. we've got to do better at this. >> and you're discounting the number of things we do avoid with good intent. >> obviously for a lot of reasons we don't always hear about those. let me ask you about the israel strike, you've been to syria. did you know about that in advance. did anyone say bad idea, good idea? i know you were meeting with head of the israeli intelligence forces. were you all informed? >> i'm not going to discuss the details of what happened or didn't happen there. what i will say is this, that we are concerned about the danger of sophisticated weapons like sa 17s and cbw, chemical and biological weapons falling into the hands of terrorists. that is something we're concerned about. we do planning every day to try to make sure that we're in a position where we can make sure that doesn't happen.
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>> the israeli officer about whom you speak was in my office in preparation for a meeting with my counterpart from israel and not in any way related to that incident that was reported. >> i'm assuming if you weren't informed you would tell me, because the reverse is true. so you talked about the groundwork being laid. everyone talks about how assad surely will fall at some point. when that happens, how does the u.s. make sure that al qaeda, or other terrorist organizations that might be loosely affiliated, don't get ahold of chemical weapons, don't all the weapons there, as in libya in some cases, what is that groundwork like? >> i think what you'd expect us to be doing is teaming, collaborating playing with partners in the region. we have nato in the north and turkey a very strong partner in jordan. of course we mentioned israel to the west, all of whom share
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common interests in making sure these spillover effects don't affect them. that's what we're doing. we're planning. we've got options for any number of military contingencies. we're maintaining both a deterrent and preparedness posture. >> did the military continue to include u.s. forces or something you see as a regional thing, securing the ground, as it were, in syria. >> we are better when we operate as partners, especially that part of the world. of course any option we would probably be asked to provide at least the capabilities no one else has. we have some extraordinary capabilities. >> intelligence gathering certainly would be one of them. what about the use of force, use of forces? >> a lot depends on what the situation is. if assad suddenly comes down, is it a permissive situation, a form of government, different than a hostage situation where there's chaos. we've got to be able to plan for
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every contingency in order to be able to ensure we are taking steps to protect that cbw so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands and other weapons don't. >> let me talk about this, southern africa becoming a hot spot. what we don't know is if this is the last refuge of al qaeda or a beach head. is this where al qaeda is given to gather? are we paying enough attention or is this a last gasp, a push there. >> you have to look at the whole picture of al qaeda. we've gone after core leadership in afghanistan. we've gone after them in yemen. we've gone after them successfully in somali. we were always aware there was aqim in africa.
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as a result of the french action. we were also anticipating we would have to move into north africa to go after al qaeda. wherever they are, we have to make sure they have no place to hide. bottom line here is al qaeda is our enemy and we have to make sure we go after them. >> let me just finally, i want to play you something from your predecessor as he was leaving office. >> any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big american land army into asia or into the middle east or africa should have his head examined as general macarthur so delicately put it. >> first of all, do you agree with your predecessor on that. second of all, give us your final thought as you prepare for your last month. >> my sense is that the defense of this country has to be prepared to respond to any contingency. i wouldn't rule out any action the president of the united states might decide needs to be
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taken against any crisis. so while i understand the concerns that bob had, i just would not rule out any option in today's world. we face a lot of threats today. i feel as secretary of defense i've been honored to serve at the department of defense. we have the strongest military power on earth, and we're dealing with a lot of threats in today's world. the biggest concern i have quite frankly right now is the budget uncertainty on capitol hill. because if the sequester is allowed to go into effect, i think it could seriously impact on the readiness of the united states and that's a serious issue. >> i would assume you agree with those parting words. >> i couldn't agree more. we face a true readiness crisis. >> gentlemen, thank you so much for being with me. thank you both very much. if hagel is confirmed, pan, a is a happy short timer. i asked him about a departure date. he indicated he'd be home in california on or before valentine's day. when we return in his first term
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president obama focused on health care, some thought to the detriment of the economy. is he in danger of making the same mistake twice. later koor, could a piece o equipment from the nfl's past protect players from today. one that's always eluded me. thought i had it in the blizzard of '93. ha! never even came close. sometimes, i actually think it's mocking me. [ engine revs ] what?! quattro!!!!! ♪
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the economy, domestic policy and republican head winds with the hill's a.b. stoddard, former labor secretary elaine chao and mike duffy up next. -oh! oh! oh! ♪ what do you know? oh! ♪ bacon? -oh! -oh! oh! [ female announcer ] with 40 delicious progresso soups at 100 calories or less, there are plenty of reasons people are saying "progress-oh!" share your story for a chance to win a progress-oh! makeover in hollywood. go to facebook.com/progresso to enter.
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elaine chao, melody barnes, times mike duffy. immigration, rear its ugly head this week is the economy. we've seen figures now show the economy actually shrank in the last quarter of last year. we see consumer confidence down and the slight uptick in the unemployment figures in january, still adds jobs, still not enough to dig into the unemployment rate. does the president pursue immigration and gun control at the risk of not focusing on the economy? >> i think the president has to take on all of these challenges. >> he didn't in the first -- in the first challenge on health care, everybody said, why isn't he focusing on jobs? >> a focus on health care is the economy and jobs as is immigration reform. if you aren't able to juggle
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many balls at the same time, you also aren't able to be president of the united states. so what we saw this past week is the reality that political risk is the biggest threat to our economy right now. the president and congress have to take that on. congress has to decide how they are going to move forward and to sequester or not. i think that was put in place as a way to try and push people towards the table. hopefully they will come and join the president in doing that but he's got a multifaceted agenda and we have to move forward if we're going to stabilize the economy and move forward on growth. >> a lot of things we were told the president didn't get to such as immigration reform, i had to focus on the economy, nonetheless, elaine, let me let you get in on this, that is does the president -- he says it's really the republicans that are standing in the way of what he'd like to do in the economy? >> i don't know how he can say that when he had control of both the houses in the legislative branch. he had control of the white house.
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>> he doesn't know. >> in 2010. >> he was able to get sweeping changes through to our economy, which actually including, for example, obama care and also dodd/frank which had hampering effects. >> on business. >> they are having a dampening effect on job creation. i'm not surprised that in the state of the union, inaugural address, not a more magnanimous spirit shown, graciousness, to focus on reaching out to the other side to work together. he uses the words. if you look at the agenda, it's very much a far left agenda item. if you look at the numbers that are part of this past friday, i don't know how anybody can say that wasn't a good report. i think the president has to focus on job creation. he cannot do everything at one time. clearly job creation is far less than what we expect. >> is there a job creation out there anyone on capitol hill at this point? >> not at the moment, other than
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the broad economy. >> budget. >> the fourth quarter went down, the stock market also hit 14,000. there's some buoyancy in the economy that certainly wasn't there last year. this is super sunday, candy. i think the way that we explain the cosmos. >> good, a football analogy. >> i know you were going to beat me to this football metaphor. both parties are reading from different play books. in the first four years the republicans tried to stop pretty much everything the president did. whether they won or lost, they won politically. it was good politics. not so clear on the second term, immigration, guns, whether blocking the president's strategy is going to be a political win. i kind of think the public is with him, you can see that in the polls. a golden hour for any president. the first year, a lot of clout, a lot of capital and a lot of room to spent it and i hope he
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does. >> a.b., is the economy, the president said it's recovering. is it something he can look away from? >> no. it's going to be a difficult balance for him. he needs to continue talking about the economy. if you look at the numbers for this week, it's very disturbing just in anticipation of the defense cuts in the sequester we saw a shrinkage in defense spending. it's going to have a considerable dent to consumer demand if this sequester goes through. that is going to be tough for the president to deal with. at the same time because of what michael says the public on these issues, there's a magic moment for immigration reform right now and maybe gun control. those are issues you have to push very hard on and can't lose focus on. those senate democrats up for re-election in red states who he's asking for help on those two issues are going to say come april if those numbers deteriorate you have to know what to do on jobs. you have to talk to americans about the economy. >> before we take a break here, tell me quickly, what is there to be done about the economy that involves congress at this
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point? >> a lot to be done by the executive branch. basically the unemployment rate of 7.9% is deceptively low. we have over 8.5 million discouraged workers who have left the workforce. basically we have long-term unemployed americans who have been out of work for 26 weeks. there's lots of things this government can do, this administration can do to not hamper job creation. 157,000 net new jobs are created. that's not enough. we need 150,000 net new jobs created next month. >> melody, you're next, i promise, when we return. the vice president makes no promise on curbing gun violence. >> nothing we're going to do is going to fundamentally alter or eliminate the possibility of another mass shooting or guarantee that we will bring gun deaths down to 1,000 a year from what it is now. this is $100,000.
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we are back with our panel. i wanted to give melody barnes, former adviser to president obama a chance just to push back a little if you want about the president and the economy.
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because although he says the republicans are standing in my way, there doesn't seem to be much he's pushing. >> i will say this, two things. one, the president has been and will continue to be focused on the economy and job creation. he's been focused on it since day one. that's why 6.1 million jobs over the last 35 months. that's why we see construction going up, housing prices going up, manufacturing going up. >> it's a weak recovery still. >> it is in a weak recovery. that's why, because of its fragility, we have to notice on not getting a sequester the republicans seem to be leaning to but in fact targeted investments and targeted cuts. that directly relates to immigration. this is an economic issue. we're not going to deport 5% of our workforce. we have to make sure we work with business that wants us and agriculture community that wants this in addition to immigration advocates. >> the financial issue with fiscal cliff. the president had no leadership to the issue. it was republicans who reached out to the vice president. >> let's move on because i am
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intrigued by joe biden's remarks up on capitol hill. you know, nothing we are going to do is fundamentally going to alter the possibility of another mass shooting. i think we all understand that nothing is foolproof. or he says, can we guarantee we're going to bring gun deaths down. this does not seem to me to be a great sales job. >> i think he's speaking the truth. this has been a horrible issue. i think there's a great deal of bipartisan concern on this issue. joe biden has a habit of sometimes speaking what's politically incorrect. we hope what will happen is we'll come into a better society. we need to enforce existing laws about gun control and we are not doing that right now. >> you can hear the ice cracking on one piece of this, which is the background checks. two or three weeks ago it wasn't there. i think you can now see they may be able to get the votes, not on
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banning the sale of assault weapons but there appears to be concern partly because the president has been so far pretty smart about organizing, not a long way from over. they may get the background checks at the gun shows that will leave other loopholes in place for the sale of these weapons. there's a possibility -- >> some parking lots. >> you see the prospects, i tend to agree you sort of hear that possibly background checks at gun sales is doable but not a lot else. >> that's true. that's the only area of consensus and it will still take a political amount of will and fight to get over the finishing line with background checks. in the south, particularly in a culture of guns, they are given as gifts to each other. many of them will not be checked. that's the one area you see it polling extremely well. i think the president will push hard on it.
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>> let me play for you real quick a super bowl ad that's going to play this afternoon. >> the nra once supported background checks. >> we think it's reasonable to provide mandatory instant criminal background checks for every sale at every gun show. no loopholes anywhere for anyone. >> america can do this. for us. >> this also leads me to believe the mayors who do want assault weapons ban that's where their strength is. >> become a campaign -- >> exactly. last thing i want to move you to immigration. here is the conservative national review editorial had this to say talking about marco rubio, he being one of those who put together this compromise bill on capitol hill. rubio is wrong about how to go about repairing our immigration system, wrong to think amnesty and immigration bill will end up
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being anything other than an unbutterred side of a half a loaf deal. and there is no reason to make a bad deal for fear of losing a latino vote republicans never had. i think this is dra mack, republican pushback, time for immigration reform. we're going to do it, going to do it, the last week has been, wait a second, not this bill. >> maybe it's happening that quickly. i think this is going to go on all year long. when we get to fights, the fights are going to be really ugly about the details. just a real quick example. let's say you let five to ten americans become citizens, when do you let them vote? this election, next election? how many. an interesting fight. >> the reality is there is a broad coalition that supports this. the chamber, the business community, the agriculture community. you see republicans -- elaine's former boss is supportive of this and his brother. that is what's going to push us
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forward because our system is pathetic and broken. it's hurting our economy not to mention families involved. >> melody barnes i have to cut you off. i'm sorry. come back next time i'll have more time. melody chao, a.b. stoddard, mike duffy, thanks so mump. president obama said if he had a son he's not sure he would play football. hines ward, most valuable player, has an old school approach that may reduce concussions. we'll talk to him next. but thes made for people with diabetes. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have six grams of sugars. with fifteen grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. ♪
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(train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities.
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he was voted the most valuable player in super bowl xl when his pittsburgh steelers bested seattle seahawks and won another ring in the super bowl three years later. when he retired after the 2011 season he traded in his cleats for a pair of dancing shoes and won season 12 of "dancing with the stars." joining me now hines ward former pittsburgh steelers. thank you for bringing our expertise to us, we really appreciate it. let me ask you, we know you said if players returned to leather helmets of days gone by, there would be fewer brain injuries. but they went from leather helmets to the ones you've got now to ameliorate the
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possibility of skull fractures. so you're trading one injury for another. >> well, i was trying to be sarcastic in that sense. if you really love the game and you're so passionate about it, if you put on a leather helmet, maybe it would give you a different way to not lead with your head, to be able to tackle using your shoulders and your arms to bring a guy down. i think that's been the main cause of concussions is guys leading with their helmets. >> you yourself have both delivered his and taken hits. i know, as you do, that the nfl players' association -- i'm sorry, your peers voted you one of the dirties players in nfl history. this was post to time you delivered a blindside hit and broke another player's jaw. you've seen this from both sides. do you think you can change the rules, whether it's helmets or any other kind of rule to fundamentally change a game that has gotten more brutal, faster,
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all of these degrees. do you think you can really change the game? >> you can change into the sense where you implement rules to teach guys how to go out and tackle people. when you have two grown men that are big, fast, going full speed ahead and they collide, it's inevitable for your brain to shake a little bit. so when you have concussions, concussions will arise. when you've colliding with each other. >> you know, the president gave an interview recently to the new republic and he had this to say. i tend to be more worried about college players than nfl players that they have a union, they're grown men and they can make some of these decisions on their own and most of them are well compensated for the violence that they do to their bodies. do you agree with that? >> yes, to an extent because in college they don't have the organization to look out for their best interest. everything is about money. but when you make it into the
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nfl, it's ingrained in us as rookies that players say to other players. you can't make the club in the tub. meaning, you can't be in the training room if you want to make the team. then from coaches saying have you ever heard about wally pipp where he had headaches and now lou gehrig comes into the lineup and that's the last you hear about wally pipp. when you hear these stories going into the nfl why would you tell doctors you have concussions. for players, they want to stay on the field and make as much money as they possibly can because you know the nfl is a short period of time. >> so, do you think that the nfl, itself, ought to do something about these head injuries. change the rules or not? do you think you're grown men, make your own decisions. you want to get concussions that could lead to severe memory losses, so be it. >> it is true. as players, we know what we sign up for. the nfl is not for everybody. of course, you can play college
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football, you have grown men out here playing football. for the nfl, they're trying to do the right thing. just that football is a violent sport. as a football player, we know what we sign up for. i just wish that us knowing about it that the nfl can do something on the back end with providing guys for lifetime insurance for life. so, when they're able to leave the game 5, 10, 15 years after they left the game that they still have necessity insurance to go out and get the proper help that's needed. >> let me ask you. the president also said, hey, if i have a son, i'd think long and hard about letting him play football. i know you have a son. would you think long and hard about encouraging him to play football? >> well, i mean, that's a difficult thing. it would be hard for me to tell my son not to go after his dreams. for me, i always dreamed about playing in the nfl and i know how dangerous it is. so, if my son, who walks around with the football said, dad, i want to play in the nfl. of course, i will give him
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knowledge about the concussions and what not and be honest with me. but it's hard for me to tell a child not to go after his dreams and not to play in the nfl. >> finally, let me ask you. we have some players currently on the field and certainly a lot of players that have retired that said, yes, they suffered memory losses. have you noticed anything about yourself taken as many hits as you have? >> no. they say you usually find signs 10, 15 years after you're done. you know, my body is going through a shock that i played football my whole life and now i'm no longer doing that. i have to change-up my regimen and my body is like, hold on, you're not playing in the nfl any more. that's an adjustment itself but knock on wood, so far so good. >> i need a two-word answer, who is going to win tonight? >> it hurts me to say this, but i think baltimore. >> thank you for your time this morning. >> thank you, no problem. when we return on this super bowl sunday, the intersection of
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and help make a foster child's night a little cozier. not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child. and finally, are you ready for some football? us, too.
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but before we go, we got to thinking, politics and football, they're not so different, you know. george allen is the namesake and the son of a hall of famer football coach. >> my father never had a losing season in the nfl, but he got fired a lot. >> allen grew up around football, but grew older in politics. >> and so i went into something that was just much more stable and predictable, politics. >> with less taxation, less litigation. >> a congressman, a governor, a senator, allen like his father won more than he lost but he got fired, too. >> in this season, the people of virginia the owners of the government, they have spoken. >> in between his last two senate losses allen fused his worlds in a 2010 book, a defense of conservatism wh"what washingn can learn from the world of sports." allen can find analogies everywhere. a president